


Recovery Period

by Moontyger



Category: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun
Genre: Friendship, Gen, vague Daihaseisai arc spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 01:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1839505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moontyger/pseuds/Moontyger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the chaotic events of the festival, Mikoto is grateful for the little things that make up her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recovery Period

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Oroburos69](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oroburos69/gifts).



It was full dark now, or as close as it ever got in Academy City: a city of students, but also a city of scientific innovations. In comparison to the technology that made up their everyday lives, the bonfire that marked the end of the Daihaseisai festival seemed primitive, even barbaric. Yet Mikoto, child of this city's technology, couldn't help but find it comforting. The people of this city hadn't come so far as all that. They were still human and the ever-changing light of a fire was still both mesmerizing and somehow comforting.

It was hard to look away, but eventually, she did. There were other things worth looking at. Not the city itself – not only was it an everyday sight, but even though she'd been trying to manipulate her, Kouzaku-san hadn't been wrong: there were many reasons to hate it. The conveniences that made their lives easier came at a high cost, even if none of them had realized that when they became students here. No, it was her friends she looked at: the friends who had sacrificed and fought so hard for her, even when they hadn't known why. Even without those ties, they had helped her, because that was the kind of people they were.

Now that they had forgotten, she had to remember for all of them.

“They let us stay out late for festival, but it'll be curfew soon. And tomorrow,” Mikoto said softly, not wanting to speak too loud and ruin the atmosphere, but not wanting to remain silent either, “we go back to normal classes.”

Saten-san groaned, leaning forward to rest her forehead briefly on her bent knees. “I'm not ready. Festival was so fun!”

“Festival,” Kuroko said in an uncharacteristically severe tone, “was frustrating. I want out of this chair!” She looked at Mikoto and the others sitting on the grass and almost pouted. “I could at least sit with you!”

“No,” Uiharu-san said firmly. “You already injured yourself again fighting those terrorists. You need to rest.”

Mikoto stole a glance at Kuroko's bandaged hand. She hadn't commented on the wound. How could she? She didn't know exactly how it had really happened, much less how everyone else remembered it. Better to say nothing than something obviously wrong. Shokuhou-san had made her look enough of a fool as it was; there was no reason to add to it.

“You're not missing anything right now,” she pointed out, a statement that had the virtue of being both true and safe, completely avoiding any specifics about the past week.

“Look on the bright side: Your teachers might go easy on you, too,” Saten-san added.

“I don't need anyone to go easy on me! Well, maybe onee-sama. She can carry my books and help me into bed and then...”

The other girls exchanged glances and sighed. Typical Kuroko – not even being badly injured could stop her from getting carried away. 

For the moment, however, Mikoto felt more forgiving than she usually did, so she just ignored it rather than getting angry. She'd be back to annoyance soon enough, but for now, she was still relieved to have everything back to normal. Even the things that usually drove her nuts were temporarily endearing.

“It's strange that someone would attack the festival, though,” Uiharu-san said thoughtfully.

“Oh, not really,” Mikoto put it hurriedly. If anyone could figure out what had really happened, it would be Uiharu-san. Mental Out could change memories, but it wouldn't effect any electronic evidence and she hadn't had time to use her own abilities to make sure it had all been deleted. If Uiharu-san went looking, she might find something. “It's one of the few times many outsiders are permitted in the city.” Not that that had anything to do with what had really happened, but that was beside the point.

Unfortunately, Uiharu wasn't easily dissuaded either. “That's true, but I wonder what they were really after?” 

Saten-san linked her hands together and lifted her arms above her head in a long stretch. “We'll probably find out sooner or later. We always do.” She grinned and added, “I have a nose for that kind of thing.”

Of course, while it was mostly a joke, it also seemed to be true, or at least mostly true. Somehow Saten-san managed to find what she was looking for sooner or later, even if it usually wasn't quite what she expected. Mikoto fidgeted uneasily. Of course, _she_ wasn't entirely certain what everyone involved had wanted either; she'd been essentially out of commission for quite a bit of what had happened. But even if the why was a little fuzzy, she still remembered what she'd almost done – both what she'd intended and what she'd almost had to do to stop it – and it wasn't something she felt ready to look at too closely.

Eventually she would have to, however, and then she wasn't sure what she'd do. Mikoto didn't like keeping secrets from her friends and suddenly she seemed to have an awful lot of them. _Was this what it was always like to have a mental ability?_ Secrets and lies and how could you ever trust or have real friends if this was what you did? Not for the first time, she was grateful that her power was nothing like that. Sure, electricity could be dangerous, but at least it didn't keep her from having friends.

“If we do find out, I hope it's a good long while from now. I'm ready for things to be normal again.” Normal was probably pushing it for Academy City, but things hadn't always been as hectic as they'd been lately. Mikoto didn't mind excitement, but she was exhausted, the sort of bone-tired she hadn't been since she'd been out every night, putting everything she had into destroying the Sister project. Whatever that otherworldly energy had been, it had taken a lot out of her. 

Kuroko just laughed at her. “You say that now. A week from now, you'll be wishing things were more exciting again.” 

“Maybe,” Mikoto admitted. And by then, she'd probably want to know more. She didn't like keeping secrets, but she wasn't fond of unanswered questions either, especially not when they might cause trouble later.

Uiharu-san pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen, then her eyes widened. “It's late! You'd better go before you get in trouble.”

Mikoto winced. People might laugh at the idea: Tokiwadai's Railgun, afraid of the dorm mistress, but that woman was _scary_! She didn't want to anger her any more than she already had.

“Right.” She jumped to her feet and took the handles of Kuroko's wheelchair. “Kuroko's on leave while she recovers, so maybe we'll see you tomorrow after school?”

Saten-san's grin was wide and happy as she nodded. “Sure! Let's meet for crepes!”

Mikoto nodded, then started for the dorms at a half-jog, pushing Kuroko's chair before her. They really were a little late, but she wasn't going to ask for a teleport tonight. For once, luck was with them, and they made it to their room with seconds to spare.

When they were in their beds with the lights out, however, it was harder to avoid thinking about the things she wanted to avoid. Whatever she'd called from that other dimension or wherever it had been, it hadn't just been energy. It had felt more like hands clasped around her wrists, offering the strength Mikoto herself lacked. Even now, she could almost feel them there, and she rubbed her wrists a little uncomfortably. It, she, whatever that power should have been called had wanted to help and she knew she had called it to do so, but it was too frightening to rely on.

In the dark, with no one to see, Mikoto shook her head. No, she didn't want that kind of help. It came at too high a cost. She thought of Kuroko then, remembering her expression when Mikoto had told her she trusted her. She couldn't have known why, didn't remember that she knew Mikoto other than by reputation, and yet there'd been happiness mixed in with her confusion. She smiled a little to herself. Yes, she didn't need that power at all. If she needed help, there were better options.

Just before she fell asleep, Mikoto finally managed to say the words that had been on the tip of her tongue all day. “Thanks, Kuroko.”

The reply was a little slurred with sleep; Kuroko was clearly more tired than she'd been willing to admit. “For what?”

There wasn't a good way to explain, but maybe it didn't need an explanation. “For being you. As long as you're here, I always know I have someone I can trust.”


End file.
